Legends of Potter

Blurb

Harry's parents provided for Harry in ways he never knew until after he completed his fourth year. Over the summer Harry's entire attitude changes as he learns what it's like to be a Potter.

Chapter 1 - Privet Drive

“GET UP BOY AND GET BREAKFAST READY!”

“Yes, Uncle Vernon,” said a groggy voice.

Uncle Vernon opened the bedroom door. “After that I have some chores for you to do outside.” Uncle Vernon almost seemed cheerful when he said that.

“Yes, Uncle Vernon,” said Harry while putting on his glasses.

“HURRY UP,” Vernon growled then turned and went downstairs.

Harry Potter was not having a good year. For that matter, he was not having a very good life either. Stuck with his hateful family again for the summer was just not his cup of tea. They always treated him horribly while working him like a house elf or a “redheaded step-child” as they say in the states. Although Harry would be willing to bet all the gold in his bank vault that most, if not all, redheaded stepchildren were treated better than he was.

Of course, Harry had a soft spot in his heart for red heads. The Weasley family contained some of his most favorite people in the world. Their youngest son Ron has been his best mate since they were 11 years old. They met on the Hogwarts Express the first day he went to the magical school. Ron’s younger sister Ginny was nice too.

Harry had saved her from the evil Dark wizard Voldemort and a giant basilisk at the end of his second year, which was Ginny’s first year. Their twin brothers, Fred and George, were a hoot, always pulling pranks, using twin speak when they talk to you, and being royal pains in the bum most of the time because they never seemed to know when to stop and be serious. Harry almost chuckled at the thought of them.

Harry then thought of his other best friend, Hermione Granger. Brown, bushy haired people were okay too, he decided. He knew that she was the only one able to keep him and Ron straight. School had just let out but Harry was missing his friends already.

Harry wished that his family was his only problem but alas, there was a lot more he had been dealing with than just them. He was almost glad that Uncle Vernon woke him up so early. Harry was not having a very pleasant dream and welcomed the interruption, even though it was quite loud.

Harry had just got back from Hogwarts after the end of his 4th school year. During the year, he had taken part in the Tri-Wizard Tournament where he was the fourth Tri-Wizard Champion. This was unusual because normally there were only three champions, one from each of the three major magical schools. Nothing too unusual for Harry though. No matter how hard he tried to stay out of trouble, it always seemed to find him.

There were three dangerous tasks. At the end of the last task in the tournament, Harry had witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory, a friendly and talented Hufflepuff. He was also forced to give some of his blood in a graveyard ritual to return Voldemort to a new body. After that, Voldemort forced Harry to duel him before Harry managed to narrowly escape back to Hogwarts using the same portkey that brought him to the graveyard.

Harry had been dreaming about Cedric dying, seeing the green killing curse striking him down repeatedly. It made no sense to Harry. Voldemort said “kill the spare” and Wormtail killed Cedric just like that. He was not needed for their purposes so his life was taken as if it meant nothing. It was difficult for Harry to keep from being sick every time that memory played in his mind.

Harry also dreamed about facing Voldemort and what had happened during the duel. He kept wondering why Voldemort would not leave him alone, why he had killed Harry’s parents, and why he had tried to kill Harry. What was so important about himself to cause Voldemort to want to kill him so badly? What did he ever do to Voldemort to deserve this? Since Voldemort tried to kill him when he was only one year old, then what possibly could he have done to the Dark wizard before that time? Drool on him?

He was sure that Dumbledore knew the answer but for some reason had chosen not to share the information. Probably Dumbledore thinks he was too young to hear about it. That just means that the information was likely very unpleasant. He still wishes Dumbledore would tell him everything. Harry agrees that he is very young but he also agrees that Dumbledore is very ancient. Harry likes and respects Professor Dumbledore but who really knows how old the professor is? In his eyes, Harry may never seem old enough to hear the information that was being kept from him.

Harry had finished cooking breakfast and served it to the Dursleys. He was eating his breakfast finally while his Uncle Vernon was explaining what was expected of him today. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were going out for most of the day to visit with Aunt Marge. Harry was to remain at the house with the following list of chores to do:

Put together the shelving units that Uncle Vernon purchased (located in the garage) and set them up in the shed. Leave two of the shelving units to be used in the garage.

Put all things back in the shed organizing it neatly on the shelves

Clean out the garage and use the two remaining shelves for organizing and storage.

Harry was to have all this done before they returned later this evening because they would have a new list for him tomorrow.

Harry looked at the list again and thought to himself. “Well at least I’ll be able to stay busy this summer and keep my mind focused on something else…. Although, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to get all this done in one day without magic. That’s not going to happen.” Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley left shortly after breakfast. After taking care of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen and dining room, Harry started on his chores outside.

Harry had the grass cut and trimmed. He had the hedges trimmed and the flowerbeds done. It was a little past lunch time and the shed looked daunting. He already knew the garage would take forever. “Impossible” he said to himself. Harry decided to fix him a sandwich for lunch before tackling the shed. He would need his strength. As he was enjoying his sandwich and crisps with lemonade to drink, his mind turned back to the shed, the shelves, and the garage, which prompted him to wish out loud.

“Man, I wish I could use magic outside of school. I bet if Dobby were here he’d help me.”

“Dobby is so pleased to see the Great Harry Potter again. Dobby will always come anytime the Great Harry Potter needs him. Just say Dobby’s name.”

“Dobby …uh…I’m sorry. I was not calling you. I just have a lot of work my family is forcing me to do and since I can’t perform magic outside of school I was just wishing I could and then said that if you were here I bet you’d help me.” Dobby was nodding his head enthusiastically. “I didn’t mean for you to have to come. I’m so sorry for wasting your time. Please forgive me and you don’t have to be at my beck and call. You’re a free elf and a great friend.”

Dobby started crying.

“The Great Harry Potter is apologizing to Dobby? The Great Harry Potter considers Dobby a great friend?”

Dobby stopped crying immediately and looked right into Harry’s eyes. “Harry Potter is the greatest wizard ever to live. Dobby is very happy to help the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will take care of any work the Great Harry Potter has to do for his mean family.”

Harry almost took him up on his offer but then remembered something. “But Dobby, this is a Muggle neighborhood. They should not see magic being performed and they certainly should not see a house elf, especially one using magic. It probably would be better if you go back to Hogwarts so no one will see you here. I’ll get the work done somehow. It was very nice to see you again Dobby.”

“No, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby can do all your work for you and no one will see Dobby or the magic. A house elf can do lots of things without being seen or noticed. The Great Harry Potter just needs to tell Dobby what needs to be done and Dobby will do it.”

“Wow, Dobby. Are you sure you don’t mind helping me?”

“It would please Dobby more than anything to help the Great Harry Potter.”

“Well then Dobby let’s take a look at the list and see where I left off.” Harry picked up the list and checked off the first three items. He then showed the list to Dobby.

Put together the shelving units that Uncle Vernon purchased (located in the garage) and set them up in the shed. Leave two of the shelving units to be used in the garage.

Put all things back in the shed organizing it neatly on the shelves

Clean out the garage and use the two remaining shelves for organizing and storage.

“Great Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be right back.” Dobby disappeared with a pop and returned about 5 minutes later. Harry had just finished the last of his second glass of lemonade and was ready to tackle the remaining jobs with Dobby’s help.

“Dobby has completed all the remaining tasks on the Great Harry Potter’s list. Is there anything else the Great Harry Potter needs Dobby to do for him?” Seeing the dirty plate and glass on the table from Harry’s lunch, Dobby waved his hand and they were clean and put away. The table was shining.

Harry sat there for a minute. “Uh…Dobby? Did you say you were done with all my chores?”

“Yes, Dobby has completed the rest of the list. Please tell Dobby what else he can do for the Great Harry Potter.”

“Just a second Dobby, I will be right back.” Harry walked out to the shed and saw that it was painted, the door was fixed, the shelves were in place, and everything looked neat as a pin. He walked back into the house and went to the garage. The two shelves were setup and the garage was sparkling clean and organized.

Harry came back into the dining room and spoke to the little elf. “Dobby I know magic is wonderful but Elf magic must be outstanding. You have outdone yourself. Everything is perfect! Thank you Dobby! There is no way I could have accomplished all that the Muggle way in less than a day.”

“Since I now know how fast you can do these things Dobby, then I will call you tomorrow if they give me more work than I can handle in the allotted time. You’re a great friend, Dobby. How about I pay you for your work today and pay you for tomorrow as well if I need you then. I will not feel as bad about calling on you if you will accept some payment for your services. Would that be okay with you?”

“No, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby does not need payment for helping the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will return tomorrow and take care of any chores your mean family gives you.” There was a small pop and Dobby was gone.

“Little bugger,” said Harry. “I have to figure out a way to get him to take payment from me but I have to be careful not to hurt his feelings.” He would ponder that at another time though.

“Wow,” Harry said, “free time.” He then decided he would take a shower and get cleaned up after his yard work. Then he could spend his extra time going through the remaining items in the ornate box he’d found in his vault last summer. He didn’t have much time while at school due to the tournament and then with Voldemort coming back, Harry had almost forgotten about it. He had only skimmed the surface of the box so far last night but everything he’d found was very interesting to him. It was obvious that his parents left it for him to discover. He was anxious to go through the rest of it and see what else he could find.

As he took his shower, Harry’s mind wandered back to that day last year when he was visiting his vault to pick up some galleons for his school purchases and for the school year. He caught a glimpse of something in the back that appeared to twinkle or sparkle. He could have sworn too that it was calling his name. It sounded like what he thought he remembered his mother’s voice to be. How he could know for sure he was not positive but he still felt confident that it was his mother’s voice calling him. It just felt right.

When he moved some of the galleons out of the way to get to the back of the vault, he found some shelves against the wall with several books on them and on one shelf, he found the item that sparkled and twinkled at him. It was a small ornate box about the size of a case you would gift an engagement ring in. He could not figure out how to open it so he slipped it into his pocket to take another look at it later.

He had asked the goblin with him if he could have something to carry the books in. For a small fee, the Goblin provided Harry with a small bag charmed with both Expansion and Feather-Light spells. Harry was able to take all the books with him so he could look them over later. He placed the small bag of books and the small ornate box in his trunk and pretty much forgot they were there for a good part of the school year. The small ornate box fell all the way to the bottom of his trunk forgotten.

When he had finally taken a look at the books he was shocked to find that many of them would have been highly useful his first year at Hogwarts. Most of the questions he had about the magical world were answered in the books. There were books about the Muggle world as well but they were a bit out dated. Technology in the Muggle world was growing fast and it was difficult to keep up with the changes. There were also several books that were meant to expand on more than what Hogwarts taught for the years on all the subjects. Harry had already delved into those as much as he could while at Hogwarts this past year. Some of the information was helpful to him during the tournament. He was planning to look at the rest of the books as soon as he could this summer. There were quite a few to go through. He had not counted them yet but estimated there were around 40 or 50 books.

His first priority though was to go through the rest of the items in the ornate box. The little box turned out to be a puzzle that he finally figured out last night, which was his first night back at Privet Drive. Harry had found it again in the bottom of his trunk. When he pulled it out and had it resting in his hand, he knew for certain at that point that the box had been calling his name and he was also certain that the voice he was hearing was his mum’s. Holding the little box in his hand close to his ear he could clearly hear the voice saying ”Harry, Harry, I love you. This box is for you. Only you can hear my voice. You need to expand the box. It’s a 5-compartment trunk. Kiss the box then place it on the floor. We love you, Harry.”

A bit misty after hearing his mum tell him she loves him Harry took a small break to gain his composure back. He then followed the instructions. Harry kissed the box and placed it on the floor. It very quickly grew into a very large trunk still as ornate as it was when small. He opened the first compartment to the trunk and found a note on top that let him know that as long as the trunk was sitting normally when he closes the lid it would shrink back to the small size but if standing on its side it will not shrink when the lid is closed. Harry was not sure why one would stand it on its side but nevertheless he would try to remember that bit of information in case he was missing something. The message was from his parents after all, so it could be important.

There were many items in the trunk and he barely got through the first compartment last night. He found many small items in there including some jewelry, a nice gold pocket watch, and some pictures of his parents, which he thoroughly enjoyed. There were some pictures with Sirius in them as well and a few of Remus too. He added the pictures to the leather photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year. He found a couple of pictures that included Peter but he quickly put them aside. Just about everything was too interesting for him to not take his time. He hoped to make a good dent in the items today, starting with the second compartment.

Harry toweled off and put on some clean but baggy clothes. He still was wearing Dudley’s hand me downs that were way too big for him. When he was ready, Harry kissed the box and set it on the floor. The box expanded again and Harry opened the lid and the second compartment. The first thing he saw was what looked like a diary. It had his mum’s name on it so figured it had to be hers. Not wanting to wait he sat back on his bed and began reading his mum’s diary. It began with her first year at Hogwarts. There was a note written on the inside cover that congratulated Lily for being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that they hoped this would be useful for Lily to capture important memories, and it was signed “Love, Mum & Dad.” Harry sighed. Here was another set of grandparents Harry had never met and his Aunt Petunia refused to talk about them as well. Harry just wished once someone would be willing to tell him about his family. He often wondered about his parents and his grandparents. He thought how nice it would have been to get to know them all.

He started reading at the front and quickly found that although his mum sounded really intelligent most of the time there were a few pages that were just too girly for Harry. He didn’t think of his mum that way. When he came across some pages that talked about when she had her first period and then went on to discuss when some of her other friends had their first period, Harry decided that skipping forward was in his best interest at this time. He was not sure when, if ever, he would be comfortable with that subject. Harry was more interested in her older self anyway, especially after she started dating his dad.

Harry was fascinated with the diary. It was almost as if she was talking to him with every word he read. He found a few spells written in the margins and some with whole pages devoted to a spell or two. He would definitely have to come back to those. Harry kept reading and was looking at some pages his mum wrote after he was a few months old. He found something very shocking. His mum wrote that Harry at a very early age was showing remarkable magical powers for just a baby. She was certain that Harry not only experienced accidental magic already but would swear that he even exhibited some control at times, such as summoning one of his toys. She decided to discuss with James and they would monitor the little power wizard for a few days. Each day the diary contained a history of magic little Harry was performing with some getting bigger, especially the accidental magic when Harry was either hungry, sleepy, or stressed.

When Harry flipped the page, he saw what had shocked him. After his mum and dad talked it over and looked at the evidence over several weeks, they decided that they should bind Harry’s magic to prevent possible harm to himself or others. They would not bind it completely but make it so it was safe. When he gets older, and no later than the age of ten, they would remove the bind so he could learn to control the extra power before going to Hogwarts the next year. His mum cast the spell. Since it was a charm, his dad preferred that she do it.

Harry sat there for a while. He wondered if anyone else knew that his parents had bound his magic. He also wondered if it was still bound. After all, his mum and dad were killed when he was just one year old. It was not likely they removed the bind before that point. At school, he was often told that he was a powerful wizard and definitely one of the most powerful students there. His magic always seemed to be a bit stronger than the others were. Had the binding been removed already? Somehow, he must find out for sure if his magic was still bound or not. There had to be a spell that would check it.

Putting the diary aside for a moment, Harry returned to the ornate trunk and began to look for more interesting stuff. He found several more books and wondered why they were in the trunk and not on the shelf with the other books in the vault. After checking them out closely, he saw that they were very advanced books on different subjects – Transfiguration, Charms, Defense, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Alchemy, and even Magical Creatures.

There were two small books he found very interesting. One was specifically about the subject of Human Transfiguration while the other addressed the one topic of Animagus Transformations. All the books were definitely past Newt level. He planned to read them as soon as possible. He hoped he would be able to follow along and that they were not too far over his head. If they were, he would simply work his way up using Hogwarts textbooks. He should have a better grasp after completing the 7th year books.

Of course, he could just ask Hermione to help him. She will want to read them for herself anyway. He would not be surprised if Hermione had not already read and memorized the 7th level textbooks.

Harry was about to dig further down in the trunk to see if there was anything else down there other than books when he heard the front door downstairs. He quickly put the diary and a few other precious items back in the trunk and shut the lid. He then picked up the small ornate box and put it in his pocket.

“BOY, YOU BETTER HAVE ALL THOSE CHORES DONE OR THERE WILL BE NO MEALS FOR YOU FOR A WEEK,” bellowed Uncle Vernon.

Harry came down the stairs. “Hi guys. Did you have a good time?”

Aunt Petunia and Dudley looked at him as if he had a third eyeball. Vernon blinked and shook his head to clear it. “Boy, you stay right there while I go check on your work. I want to see what you didn’t get done because you will not get fed for a week if all those chores aren’t finished.”

Harry shrugged his shoulders and said “Alright.”

Vernon walked out the back door. A few minutes later, he came back through the house mumbling as he went to the garage. A couple of minutes later he came back in sputtering and stammering. “B...B…Boy there is no way you got all that done without using your m…mag…freakishness.”

Calmly Harry stated, “Uncle Vernon I did not use any magic to do my chores. You know as well as I do that the ministry does not allow underage wizards and witches to use their magic outside of school unless it is a dire emergency. Even then, you may still get in trouble. Had I used my magic the ministry would have notified me of the infraction and I would be in trouble right now. There have been no owls from the ministry today because I have not used any magic since I left Hogwarts.”

“But…but…how? It’s not possible!” Vernon glared at him.

Harry just had a marvelous idea.

“Okay, Uncle Vernon. Magic was used but not by me. I accidentally…”

“You had one of your freaky friends over while we were out? HOW DARE YOU! You know that I do not allow any of that freakishness in my house.” Vernon was moving toward Harry as he was saying this.

“Uncle Vernon?” Harry said quickly. “I am going to accept your offer.” Vernon stopped and looked confused. “You said if I do not complete all the chores you give me to do then I will not be fed for a week. Well, I am not doing any more chores so I will not expect any food from you guys for the next week. You can have Dudley do the chores. He could use the exercise.”

“WHY YOU LITTLE FREAK!” yelled Vernon as he approached Harry.

“Dobby?”

Pop!

Dobby appeared in front of Harry. “Dobby is here Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is always pleased to help the Great Harry Potter!”

“Aaaaaaieeeeeeeh” screamed Petunia while Dudley was trying to hide his fat self behind one of the chairs in the lounge. Vernon staggered a few steps backwards in shock.

“W…w…what is that thing? That…that creature? Boy, you get that freaky thing out of my house this instant or I will…,” cried Vernon while raising his hand as if to strike Harry.

Instantly Vernon found himself stuck to the ceiling where he could not move and a very angry creature had one hand pointed at Vernon, holding him on the ceiling with magic. Vernon blinked a few times. The strange creature seemed to be telling him something.

“…will not be harming the Great Harry Potter. Dobby will not allow it. The big fat oaf will keep his hands off the Great Harry Potter or Dobby will make sure he never touches anything again.”

“Dobby?”

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir?”

“Dobby, I have just made a deal with my uncle. If I refuse to do anymore of his chores then he has promised not to provide me with food for a week.” Vernon nearly soiled himself when the creature slowly turned his head back up toward Vernon and gave him the meanest glare Vernon had ever experienced. “I accepted my Uncle’s offer because I was hoping you could provide me with my meals for the summer? Do you think that would be alright with you Dobby?”

“Dobby will be happy to feed the Great Harry Potter for as long as the Great Harry Potter needs him to.”

“Great, Dobby!” said Harry. “You can bring my food straight to my room. That way you don’t have to see my relatives again.”

“I told you boy that your freakish friends are not allowed in my house.” Dobby turned back to Vernon again and glared up at him as he was still on the ceiling. Vernon’s body was pressing harder into the ceiling and a few cracks were forming. Vernon looked intently into the creature’s eyes and changed his mind, “Well, I g-guess it would be o-okay if this f-friend brings you food.”

“Thank you, Uncle Vernon. Dobby you can put Uncle Vernon down now.”

“Are you sure Master Harry Potter, sir? He looks like he could stay up there and miss a few meals himself.”

“I’m sure, Dobby. Let him down. It will be okay now.”

Dobby shrugged his shoulders and said “okay.” Vernon promptly fell to the floor in a big crash. All the air was knocked out of him for several seconds.

As Vernon was struggling to get back on his feet and gain control of his breathing again, Harry began the introductions.

“Guys, my friend here is called Dobby and he is a house elf in the magical world. I helped Dobby a couple of years ago out of a bad situation. Ever since then Dobby has been willing to help me. He will not be in the way. The neighbors will never know when he is here. There is special house elf magic that allows him to do whatever he needs to do unnoticed. Here is the deal. You stay out of my way this summer and I will stay out of yours. With Dobby providing my meals, we should have minimal interaction in this house. That suits me just fine.”

After Harry looked all three of them in the eyes once to make sure they each understood, he turned to go back upstairs.

“Dobby and I will be going to my room now.”

Dobby waved his hand at the ceiling and the cracks were removed leaving the ceiling looking like new.

The Dursleys just stared at Dobby with their mouths gaping. Either it was due to their first time seeing a house elf, seeing what he did to Vernon, or perhaps it was just due to the fact that Dobby wore very colorful mismatched socks and 4 hats. No one knows for sure.

Harry, with Dobby following, walked back up the stairs to his room. Harry closed the door. “Dobby, can you make it so no one can hear what goes on in my room but I can hear what goes on outside of it?”

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir.” Dobby waved his hand and the Silencing Charm was in place.

“Thank you, Dobby.”

Dobby looked around the room and thought for just a minute. This is where the Great Harry Potter will be spending his summer? The bedroom was tiny. Harry’s bed was too small and lumpy. His desk, if you could call it that, was broken and wobbly along with its chair. There were a lot of broken toys and equipment in one corner of the room. This will just not do thought Dobby, not at all.

In a flurry of motion and magic, the room changed. The bedroom was magically expanded to twice its size. The old broken desk was replaced with a very nice large mahogany desk with plenty of room for Harry to work. A very nice leather office chair replaced the old wobbly one. Harry’s bed was transfigured to resemble his nice comfortable bed at Hogwarts. The corner was cleaned up of all the broken toys and equipment, even the closet was expanded. The room looked completely different.

“Dobby, this is great but what if someone else sees this?” asked Harry.

“Dobby made it so that your mean family, and any other Muggle, will only see what was here before. If a magical being sees it then they will see what you see,” explained Dobby.

“Incredible,” declared Harry. “Dobby, you are one special friend and can do some amazing magic! I am starting to think I should have called you sooner. You are right handy to have around.”

Dobby stared down at the floor, shuffled his feet nervously, and looked as embarrassed as he felt.

Harry smirked and walked over to his school trunk and pulled out two pairs of different looking socks that used to be his Uncle Vernon’s. Harry mismatched the pairs and walked back over to Dobby, kneeling down in front of the little elf.

Harry placed his hands on Dobby’s shoulders. “Dobby, I’m sorry to embarrass you but I meant every word. I know that you are not used to being complimented, especially after spending so much time in service to that horrible Malfoy family. But Dobby, listen, you are my friend and I compliment my friends when they do something good. Believe me, this is not just good” Harry said, looking around the room, “it’s great!”

Dobby raised his head to look at Harry Potter.

“Dobby, since you will not accept payment from me for your services, I have decided to give you a special gift because of the special gift you just gave me today.” Harry held up the two mismatched pairs of socks to Dobby. Harry explained, “These socks are special. You can use them in a pair like this or you can match up the identical ones to form different pairs.”

“Thank you Master Harry Potter, sir! These are great! Socks are my favorite gift. I don’t think I will be matching them up though. That’s just not right.”

Harry laughed and said, “Somehow I knew you were going to say that.”

“Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be back at 6:30pm with your dinner. What would the Great Harry Potter like to eat?”

“Surprise me, Dobby. I will eat whatever you bring me. Thanks again Dobby.”

Pop!

Harry discovered that there were just more books and some manuscripts left in the second compartment so he opened the third compartment. He found it full of clothes, very nice clothes that looked brand new. A lot of them were robes with the Potter crest on them. They were in several nice colors. He found several pairs of pants, including five sets of slacks in various colors like black, navy blue, gray, and forest green. There were also five sets of blue jeans, three sets of black jeans, a dozen or more long-sleeve button-up and pull-over shirts, some T-Shirts with funny sayings, two pairs of dress shoes in black and brown, some deep green dragon-hide boots with matching dragon-hide pants and jacket, two new sets of trainers, a dozen pairs of socks, and a dozen sets of boxers.

“That’s a lot of nice clothes. Too bad they’re not in my size.”

In the fourth compartment, Harry only found one thing – another note. “Harry, this compartment is intentionally left empty so it can be used for whatever else you would want to store in it. However, before you move on to the last compartment you should stand the trunk up vertically on its end and up against a wall, start to open the 5th compartment and the trunk will do the rest.”

Harry did as he was instructed. He stood the trunk on its end up against a wall in his bedroom. He grabbed the fifth compartment lid to open it but when he pulled it, the trunk changed into a door and looked just like a door to an adjoining room. Harry opened the door and walked into a nice furnished living room with a comfortable looking sofa and couple of comfortable chairs around a large area rug.

He found many bookshelves covering one short wall from floor to ceiling with several books on the shelves as well. There was a small kitchen and dining room off to the left and a hallway to the right with a small loo half way down the hall and two nice bedrooms on each side at the end.

Each bedroom had a queen size bed, two walk-in closets, and a loo with a shower. In one of the bedrooms, he found that the closets were completely full of more nice clothing. There were men’s clothing in one closet and women’s clothing in the other. Harry could not believe all the nice furnishings and all the clothes. The space was not cramped at all. It was hard to believe all this was inside one compartment of that trunk.

“I love magic,” he said with a smile.

Harry came back into the dining room and noticed a small item on the table that he missed before. It had a button on it with a note that said, “Press the button.” He sat down in one of the dining chairs, then slowly but carefully pressed the button. Two full-sized images of his mum and dad suddenly appeared before him. Harry jumped up from his chair and stood there staring. “Mum? …Dad?”

“Hi Harry, I bet you look handsome,” his mum said. She was looking right at him.

“Yeah, Harry. I bet you are handsome because you certainly inherited all my good looks,” Lily elbowed James in the side. “Of course you got your mum’s beautiful eyes,” he quickly added. His dad was looking right at him as well.

“Nice save James, but we need to get down to business. Harry, I wish we could really talk to you and give you the biggest hug but if you are seeing this memory, that means we are no longer there for you. I’m so sorry sweetie. I promise you that your dad and I did everything possible to prevent this from happening. We were in great danger and obviously, something must have gone horribly wrong in all our plans if we didn’t make it. I’m quite sure though that Sirius took really good care of you. Both of you are so inseparable these days, especially when he’s in his animagus form. You and Snuffles are real pals.”

“Harry, same goes from me,” his dad said. “We planned well I thought so I am not sure what could have happened. Your mum is right, though. You and your godfather are like two peas in a pod. I am sure growing up with Sirius was not too bad even though I wish I were really standing next to you right now, kiddo. There is so much we could have done together, father and son, Potters through and through to the end.”

“Okay, James, stop getting mushy. Potter, Potter, hoo-rah,” Lily said with a smile. “We both would have loved to see you grow up and be there for you, Harry, because we love you with all our heart. However, there’s a lot we need to share with you in this memory. We will go over the trunk in finer detail to make sure you fully understand all of its functionality. We will also give you a guided tour of this little hide-away explaining how everything works with the kitchen appliances, loos, etc. Basically it’s all magic but we will explain it better and tell you why we have it and its intended use.”

“That’s just cracking the surface, sonny boy.” Harry’s focus switched to his dad. “I will also be telling you about your ancestral home and how you get there. Of course, there are more properties owned by the Potter Trust but we will not get into those for now. We will concentrate on getting to Potter Place first. The rest of the properties can come later.”

“Back to me, Harry” his mum said. “Let’s go to one of the bedrooms. Follow me.” Harry followed his parents into the bedroom with the closets full of clothes. “Harry, this is the bedroom your dad and I were going to use. You will find the closets full of nice clothes. You can wear any of them that you want.”

His dad threw in “You might not want to wear any of your mum’s clothes.”

“Very funny, James, but I am sure he knows that already. Harry, all the clothes in this trunk, including the ones hanging in the closets and the extras in the third compartment are all spelled to auto-adjust the fit when you put them on. I am quite good with charms, you see. If you can use any of them feel free. They are all brand new. I am sure you know by now that the Potters are very well off. I was not raised poor as my parents did quite well but compared to the Potters we were broke.”

“As Potters, we do not flaunt it but we do take advantage of it and enjoy it as much as we can” his dad added. “In the end, money can always be replaced. Friends and family, and the ones we love, are the precious, irreplaceable items.”

“Don’t I know it,” Harry said.

“Your dad bought me all those clothes in my closet. There are a lot of nice ball gowns and robes in there that some pretty girl you fancy might want to use on occasion,” his mum said with a wink. “Your girlfriend could use some of the jewelry in the first compartment that you should have found already, but the really nice stuff is in the Potter family vault which you cannot access until you are an adult. Don’t worry though, it will be well worth the wait,” she said with a smile.

After James and Lily had explained to Harry all about the trunk and its uses, James asked Harry to pause the memory (by pushing the button twice). Next, he wanted Harry to go back out and get the pocket watch found in the first compartment, bring it back in and start the memory rolling again.

With his parents’ memory paused, Harry left out of the room/trunk and went to his school trunk where he had put the pocket watch. He was thinking about using it as his own watch. Harry was not sure what his dad wanted to show him with it but he felt a bit of excitement coming on. While he was getting the watch out of his trunk, Dobby appeared with his dinner.

“Hi, Dobby, is it time to eat already?” Harry’s stomach growled and he realized just how hungry he really was. He hadn’t even thought about food for a while. He had been very distracted and was quite happy about it.

“Dobby has brought the Great Harry Potter his dinner.”

“Have you eaten Dobby? I would love it if you would join me for dinner. I am sure you brought plenty for both of us.”

“But Dobby is a house elf, sir.”

“I know you’re a house elf but why does that matter?”

“The Great Harry Potter is a wizard, a very great wizard. No wizard has ever asked Dobby, or any other house elf Dobby knows, to sit down and eat with him before.”

“Really? That’s odd. Well, it’s about time then isn’t it? Dobby, you may be a house elf and I may be a wizard but no matter what we’re still friends, correct?”

“Yes, Harry Potter is Dobby’s greatest friend.”

“Okay, so as my friend I am asking you to join me for dinner. I am not asking you as a wizard to a house elf but I am asking you as your friend. Do you accept?”

Dobby paused for only a second. “Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be pleased to eat dinner with the Great Harry Potter.”

Harry and Dobby enjoyed a great dinner that included some of Harry’s favorites – Shepherd’s Pie and Treacle Tart for dessert.

When done, Harry asked Dobby a question. “Dobby, see that door over there? I created that with a trunk I found in my Gringotts vault. Can you make it so that it’s not noticeable by anyone, except me?”

“Yes, Harry Potter sir. Dobby will make it so only you can see the door.” Dobby waved his hand at the door and cast the spell.

“Thank you Dobby. Thank you for dinner and thanks for eating with me. Tomorrow I will not need breakfast. I am going to be up late working on something so I will sleep in tomorrow morning and will not need you to bring me food until lunch. Okay?”

“Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will see you at lunch.” Dobby left with a pop and all the dirty dishes went with him leaving a very clean room.

After letting Hedwig out for the night, Harry hurried back into the room/trunk with his pocket watch in hand. Going back to the table Harry pressed the button to continue the memory.

James started. “Harry, now that you have the pocket watch I need to tell you a secret. That is no ordinary watch. Yes, it functions just fine as a watch but it’s also a portkey, a very special portkey. That watch is a Potter portkey. It will take you to the Potter ancestral home, which is called Potter Place. Once there you will learn about your heritage, be able to speak to your ancestors via their portraits, receive all kinds of help on anything you want to know or do, and you will be able to do all sorts of amazing things. Various charms and wards of the strongest nature protect the house and lands. The house and lands are also unplottable. You can perform underage magic there without fear of the ministry finding out. I do not want to tell you much more. I think it would be best to have you go there and let our family fill in the blanks. The head house elf should still be there although she is quite old. Her name is Mattie. She will take care of you. She met you when you were a baby and even changed your nappy a few times. I am sure she will be happy to see you.”

“Yes, she will Harry,” his mum cut in. “She fell in love with you the first time she laid eyes on you. Mattie is the sweetest house elf but she knows her stuff so rely on her. She has taken care of the house and helped raise many Potter children. She will be able to catch you up to speed at Potter Place.”

“One last thing, Harry, before I show you how to operate the watch.” His dad looked worried. “I just realized while your mum and I were getting this ready for you that if we are dead then that means you are the last of the Potters. Harry, I do not want to put any pressure on you but I must insist that you take very good care of yourself, that you marry a beautiful and talented witch (she will probably have red hair), and that you have lots of Potter babies. It would be a major tragedy if the Potter name died out. You will understand better what I am talking about once you have been to Potter Place. The Potters have played a very important role in the history of magic in this country. A lot will be lost if our name dies out. Take care of yourself, Harry. I love you.”

“I agree Harry,” his mum said. “You may not know it but the wizarding world owes a lot to the Potter family. It is up to you to keep up the tradition. We know you can do it sweetie. I love you.”

“Okay, James, tell him what he needs to know about the watch. We have to wrap this up.”

“Right, Harry, let me show how the portkey works. Each Potter location has a phrase that you utter to go there. For instance, to get to Potter Place you merely need to hold the watch in the palm of your hand and say “Legends of Potter” but don’t say it yet as I am not done. Get Mattie to help you so you can learn all the locations. The watch is also capable to learn additional locations. If you wanted to add the location you are at now then you could do that. However, Simon or my dad is better at explaining it than I am and they can actually interact with you while we can’t since this is a memory.”

“Who is Simon?” Harry asked.

James smiled, “I bet you asked who Simon is, right? Simon is your great-grandfather, several greats to be exact. I forget how many greats it actually is but he goes back quite a ways. He was one of the most knowledgeable and best teachers of all the Potters, not to mention extremely powerful. His portrait can be found in the library. If you have a question, he is the best person to ask. If he cannot help you then he will know who can. Also, don’t forget to visit your grandparents’ portraits in the study. My mum and dad will not only be ecstatic to see you but they will be very helpful to you. Dad was an Unspeakable and Mum was a Healer. They can answer a lot of questions and teach you many helpful things. You got all that, Sport?”

Lily spoke up, “Oh, Harry, I almost forgot. If you have not read my diary yet then you should definitely read it. I wrote down some good spells in there, mostly charms. They should be very useful to you. Also, you need to know that we bound your magic when you were just a few months old. All this is explained in the diary as well. You were a very powerful little baby so we did it to protect you from hurting yourself or anyone else. We had plans to undo the bind no later than the age of ten so you could have a year to adjust to the extra power before attending Hogwarts. We were going to have you spend a lot of time at Potter Place after that so you could use your magic and adjust to the extra power. You need to know that as of this time when we made this memory your magic is still bound. Since we are not around, you will need to ask your grandpa or Simon to help you determine if you are still bound and how to remove it. It could be that Professor Dumbledore noticed it already and removed it for you. However, I am sure you would have noticed if he did. Given the amount of raw magical power you were showing at such a young age, unbinding it should cause a big surge within you that you will feel and notice. I am certain of that. You will likely have to lie down for a while once it is unbound. Good luck, sweetie.”

“Harry, this memory is coming to a close,” his dad said. “We wish you all the best and want you to know that we have done this so no matter what happens you can come out on top. Potter Place is now yours. It will be a safe haven if you need it and a place to learn as much as you are willing to learn. Take advantage of it.”

Harry’s parents stood next to each other with his dad’s arm on his mum’s shoulders and her arm around his waist. They said together in perfect harmony, “Harry, always remember that we love you.” They smiled and disappeared.

Harry sunk down on his knees and cried harder than he as ever remembered. That was the longest amount of time he had ever seen his parents and it was a glimpse into how wonderful it could have been. He so wished they were with him now.

When Harry could not cry anymore, he went into the loo to wash his face and clean up. He then went out of the room/trunk back into his bedroom. He got out the new clothes and put on a pair of his new boxers. He liked the fit. He put on a black pair of slacks and socks along with a gray button-up shirt. He put on the black dress shoes and one of the black Potter robes. Grabbing his wand and saying goodbye to Hedwig who had come back in, Harry pulled out the pocket watch and gripped it in his hand.

sujitha nair:
What's so distinct about this story was that it could easily be real. Praveena can be your classmate, neighbor or that girl you saw at the coffee shop today. The important decisions she makes and the dilemmas she faces, remind us of our own twisted lives.

genlynne2379:
I read the other review of this book and I must say that I disagree with it wholeheartedly. I do not believe the author put the apostrophes in the names just to be unique, but because the characters are supposedly of a different race than humans. They are Anmah. They should have different names a...

Dru83:
This is the second or third time I've read this one and I just love it. It has just about everything you could ever want packed into one scifi story. It still has some parts that are a little rough in terms of grammar, punctuation, and word usage, but it's still an awesome story. I love how detai...

Hali McGowan:
when will the third book be done? I am absolutely hooked. I red the first two books within less than a week. I'm itching for the third one. The plotline is absolutely wonderful. I've never been much for sci-fi ish books. but you've got me hooked on this series

Catherine Kopf:
Wow! This was a really great story. I really enjoy reading fantasy, so it didn't take long for me to become invested in the book and its characters like Jacob. I really liked your writing style, and it seemed to flow very well. The descriptions that you used for your world were also created n...

Giuliana Cassetta:
My face is full of tears, I never cried like now with a book or even a movie. I loved every single chapter. I truly don't know what to say, I'm out of words and my eyes hurt from crying. Such an bittersweet story, it's so wonderful. One of my favorites for sure. Keep it up!

CookieMonster911:
The story overall was an adventure that is appealing to any age. The way the characters develop adds a more human characteristic to the novel. The writing style itself is amazing because you can learn every character's thoughts and emotions. The awkward love triangle and jerk moments adds to the ...

JWalker:
I loved this story from start to finish! It flows at a really nice pace and the story world feels so real. The fight sequences are a treat especially when Isanfyre is training to become a warrior. I found the names really cool and thankfully easy to pronounce. Personally I have always struggled w...

Chevonne Prinsloo:
I loved this book.. I didn't want to stop reading it! just my kind of book... I really love how the plot of the story carries along. I hope there are more books to follow after this one! I like the way she describes how Rogue is feeling and the way she shows the emotions going through Rogu. I als...

re8622:
The Last Exodus quickly grabbed my attention. Almost as soon as I started reading the story, I couldn't put it down. I found that the ideas the author put forth were very thought provoking given the turmoil we have seen gradually rise over the last several years. I felt that I could understand th...

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